Who was Luke?

Who was Luke?

He was a companion of the apostle Paul and author of the third Gospel and Acts.

 The preface to the Gospel indicates that Luke was not an eyewitness or immediate disciple of the Lord. Luke states that he had carried out extensive research and had written an orderly account about Jesus.

Luke’s writings present some distinctive features that tell us something about him as a person and his understanding of Christianity. Those features include:

• The extraordinary feature of Luke’s work is the inclusion of the book of Acts as a sequel to the Gospel. The two books together—Luke and Acts—show the actual fulfilling of the prophecies of Isaiah in the proclamation of the gospel to the ends of the earth. This inclusion of the Gentiles is often referred to as Luke’s universalism or concern for all humanity (Luke 2:14; 24:47).

• The Gospel of Luke displays a keen interest in individuals, social outcasts, women, children, and social relationships, especially situations involving poverty or wealth.

• This Gospel has a special stress on prayer and the Holy Spirit, which results in a striking note of joyfulness and praise.

The “we” passages of Acts disclose that Luke was in Philippi (possibly his hometown) when he first joined Paul (Acts 16:10–17). Then he later rejoined Paul again in the return to Philippi (20:5–15). Luke then journeyed with Paul on his way to Jerusalem and stayed with Philip at Caesarea (21:1–18). Then, after Paul’s two-year imprisonment in Caesarea, Luke sailed with him to Rome (27:1–28:16).

Further references to Luke in the epistles of Paul (Col 4:14; 2 Tm 4:11; Phlm 1:24) give some valuable information about Luke. Colossians 4:11 and 14 indicate that Luke was a Gentile and a physician. This is proven by the interest shown by Luke in medical matters, as in Luke 4:38, 5:12, and 8:43. It is also interesting that early tradition adds that Luke was a physician of Antioch who wrote his Gospel in Achaia and died at the age of 84.

***This is an article adapted by from one published in the In Tyndale Bible dictionary (pp. 829–830). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001).